The goalkeeper of the blue and whites Kurban Rasulov spoke about the start of the season, his impressions of the World Cup and special emotions from the upcoming meeting with the team from his hometown.
– You changed your number to the first one in the offseason. Is this such a symbolic gesture showing your ambitions?
– Yes, it was free, I wanted to take it, and they gave it to me, which is very nice. I want to play under number one.
– How did you react to the fact that Sandro Schwarz announced before the start of the season that Andrei Lunev would be the main goalkeeper?
– It's normal that the coach immediately outlined everything. He told me about it in a personal conversation, so the reaction was normal. I will continue to work and prove myself, and we will see who will play in the season.
– How do you like working with Sandro and his football philosophy in general?
– I didn't catch his first visit to Dynamo, so the whole training and household process is new to me. There are similar features with Pavel Alekseevich Alpatov, who was his assistant and with whom we used to work in Dynamo-2. Sandro wants to play dynamic and attacking football. As always, reliability is required from goalkeepers, so we will do our job one hundred percent and help the team achieve results.
– Has something changed for the goalkeepers with his arrival?
– I would not say that, as before, we are doing our work with Dmitry Sergeyevich Izotov. In terms of playing with your feet, you need more reliability – once again not to take risks so as not to cut the lines.
– There were no complaints about the goalkeepers in the first two rounds. Have you figured out in general why the start wasn't successful?
– After any game, we sort out the bad moments. In the first game, there were fewer questions about the defense, since we didn't concede a goal. We managed to score in Kaliningrad, but we conceded two. Hopefully, the quality of the game will improve from match to match. We want to play forward more confidently, powerfully and dynamically.
– Did you follow the World Cup closely?
– Yes, I was rooting for Portugal, who were eliminated in the round of 16. Then I was more inclined to wish for Argentina to lose, as they were clearly being dragged down. They had an easy draw, but in the final they finally faced a decent team, who crushed them.
– Who of the goalkeepers was remembered at the tournament?
– There were many matches and goalkeepers whom I saw for the first time. I wouldn't say that anyone stood out. Yes, there was Unai Simon, who missed one goal during the entire tournament, but in terms of saves, it's hard to remember anyone. Unai played very reliably and confidently in the semifinals and finals, insured his partners, so I liked his performance in decisive matches.
– Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha has 400 times more subscribers after the World Cup. Have you improved a lot in this sense over the past season?
– It is clear that the RPL is not the World Cup, so, of course, it has not increased 400 times, but there are more of them. It's still a long way to Vozinha.
– There is a match ahead with a team from your hometown. You didn't manage to play with them last season, so will it be special emotions?
– Of course, there will be special emotions. After I left Dagestan, I have never played against a team from my native Republic, so I am looking forward to this meeting and I really want to play. I want to win and show that we are stronger.
– Do more of your friends and acquaintances support Dynamo Moscow or Makhachkala?
– I think they root more for Dynamo Moscow and for me personally.
– How much do you follow Dynamo Makhachkala in general? Are you surprised with their start?
– I watch their every game and I'm not particularly surprised. They played away with Fakel, so they could take three points there, and they always do very well at home. Their fans drive them forward, and they always go on the field with a special mood.
– Egor Smelov recently moved to our next rival. Did he ask you about Dagestan?
– He asked questions even before he moved there. He found out some things about the apartment, other household issues, and now, after leaving, he was asking where it was better to buy equipment. So he asks a lot of questions, and I'm always happy to help him.
– This Sunday's matchday will be dedicated to Russian and Dagestani culture. Name the places that you would recommend to see in Dagestan.
– It's hard to say, because I come from there, and for me all the places are familiar and dear. For tourists, the number one is the Sulak Canyon, where everyone comes. I will note our cuisine – you will come to any restaurant and you will be very surprised. I really like kurze – our traditional dish, similar to dumplings. However, I only like it when my mom cooks them, she always greets me with them on the first day of vacation.
– The famous UFC fighter Shara Bullet will be at the match. Are you familiar with his career?
– Yes, I'm a UFC fan in general, so I watched his fights. If we cross paths at the stadium, I will definitely approach him. He probably doesn't know me, but let's get to know each other.
– Shara used to play football, by the way, he was also a goalkeeper. Would you be able to perform in mixed martial arts?
– I have two elder brothers engaged in boxing, and by their example I understand that it is better not to engage in martial arts, as it harms health.